WILL THE 737 MAX FLY AGAIN?

By Karthik Kalaiarasan

Boeing are expecting the troubled 737 Max aircraft to fly again by New Year. The 737 Max is a type of aircraft that is manufactured by Boeing. The 737 Max has had two detrimental crashes involving the deaths of 346 people, one of which was the Lion Air disaster which killed 189 people and on March 2019 the Boeing 737 Max was grounded worldwide. Profits more than halved to $895m (£694m).

the lion air disaster

The Lion Air disaster happened 13 minutes after departing from Jakarta, Indonesia. It was scheduled to arrive at Pangkal Pinang but it never reached. A summary of the report, presented in slide-show format to victims’ relatives, put most of the blame on Boeing for introducing an automated system in the 737 Max without adequately briefing airlines and their crews about its existence or instructing them how to override the software should it malfunction. It also pointed to maintenance issues on the Lion Air-plane.

the mcas

The new automated system is the MCAS. The MCAS (Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System) is an anti-stall system and was designed to make the aircraft easier to fly. However, the MCAS was said to have played a major role in both disasters. The MCAS is there to stabilise the plane in case the angle of the plane is too high which creates a risk of a stall. There is a sensor in the nose which detects the angle of the flight. If the angle is too high, the horizontal stabiliser trim (at the rear end of the plane) adjusts and corrects the angle and the nose pushes down to reduce the risk of the stall. Although, there is only one sensor, it will push down the nose anyway, even if the sensor readings are wrong. Pilots can momentarily switch of the MCAS and pull up but if the incorrect readings continue, the system will restart and it will become a tug of war between the aircraft and the crew.

will the 737 max fly again?

Boeing have made some changes and have been working with mechanics so 737 Max can be in the skies before 2020. "Our top priority remains the safe return to service of the 737 Max, and we're making steady progress," Boeing boss Dennis Muilenburg states. They are try to get a regulatory approval soon.

 In conclusion, Boeing are expecting 737 Max to fly again by 2020. Even though they have caused the deaths of 346 people, they are hoping that there will not be another accident and are hoping that the jet will soon return to service.